Recently, I wrote a blog of the top 10 keto myths. Once I finished the blog, I realized how much there was to say about each one! So, I decided to break each one down into its own blog. The next one on the list is looking at keto and heart disease.
The Myth of Keto and Heart Disease
For anyone who has gone to a dietician, you have likely heard the phrase that eating fat makes you fat. So, how can eating fat when you are on keto possibly work? Well, because if you eat fat while continuing to eat the regular amount of carbs makes you fat. If you eat fat and drastically reduce the amount of carbs, you go into ketosis and your body switches to using fat as energy instead of carbs. So, it no longer makes you fat. It makes your body a lean, mean, fat-burning machine.
However, dieticians often say that eating fat isn’t good for you. It clogs your arteries. It leads to heart disease. Fat is unhealthy. Is this true? Are we keto people on the path to a heart attack?
Fats – The Healthy, The Unhealthy, and the Really Unhealthy
Pretty much all health professionals will agree that eating some unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) can actually be good for you. I’m not going to get into the science mumbo jumbo here, because I’m not a nutritional scientist. Basically, unsaturated fats are those that are liquid at room temperature. You get them from food such as avocados, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
Saturated fats are more controversial. They come from foods such as dairy, coconut oil, and fatty red meats. Remember when we were told to stay away from red meat? Or is that just me because of my age? Not that long ago, we were told to eat chicken and fish, not steaks. Some health professionals still give that advice. Others feel it is more what we pair these foods with that is the issue, rather than the saturated fats.
The one fat that everyone says we should stay away from is trans fat. This is the hydrogenated oils that fast food places used to fry our foods. They tend to be manufactured, and sometimes even developed through chemical processes. This includes foods like shortening, stick margarine, and non-dairy coffee creamer. Any keto people I know and have read stay away from trans fats.
Research on Keto and Heart Disease
Newer research has mixed results on the link between fats and heart disease. Some studies find a slight increased risk of heart disease with saturated fats, and others find no link at all. What we have seen is that fats (other than trans fats) have little or no effect on heart disease in most healthy adults. That being said, people with certain medical conditions or cholesterol problems may need to monitor how much saturated fat they take in.
What I like to see in the newer research is that most everyone agrees that the overall composition of our food and how it interacts with our bodies is the key part of health. In other words, if I eat cheese and I feel sick, there may be something interacting negatively with my body. I might be lactose intolerant or sensitive. Just as when I gave up wheat, my body reacted positively and I realized I was likely gluten sensitive.
Additionally, if I am eating whole foods, I will likely be healthier than if I am eating processed foods. This means I’m eating foods as close to their original form as possible. Fresh green beans have more nutrients than canned green beans.
Final Thoughts on Keto and Heart Disease
One of the issues I have with some of the research I’ve read is that saturated fats are clumped in together. The saturated fat I get from butter, steak, or cheese seems to me to be very different from the saturated fat I get from processed meats and sugary desserts. I eat a lot of dairy to keep my fat count up with keto, and my blood work has come back as all within normal parameters.
Unsaturated fats have been shown to possibly protect against heart disease. So, I try to eat more of these. This isn’t because I believe saturated fats are bad, or cause heart disease. It’s because I’d like extra protection against heart disease.
I’m eating keto to live a healthier lifestyle. My body tells me this is working. The bloodwork I’ve had tells me this is working. So, does eating fat lead to heart disease? I’m going with what I’ve experienced and saying this is a myth.
Wendy
